In honor of my husband’s birthday today, the winner of this week’s Fun Friday contest was entry #28!

First Name: Gail

Last Name: H.

Email: ghurt110@b….

Congrats! Gail, please go to my contest page and select the two books you’d like. Then email me with your books and your snail mail address.

Thanks to EVERYONE who entered! And…everyone had the right answer! LOL! Here is the question for week #3:

Book #2, A TOUCH OF SCANDAL, features one of the heroes from A HINT OF WICKED as its hero. What is his name?
(If you haven’t read A HINT OF WICKED, you can guess! I won’t penalize you if you get the wrong answer, as long as it’s a good guess! )

So head on over to my contest page and enter! Have fun!

As my hero prepares to undress my heroine in my current book (A SEASON OF SEDUCTION starring Lady Rebecca from A HINT OF WICKED!), I am researching stays (corsets) and how they were worn in the 1820′s, and I came upon a story of a mother who has three children, like I do.

Matilda is a fine woman of good breeding, great sense, and much religion. She has three daughters that are educated by herself. She will not trust them with any one else.

Gee, so far Matilda sounds like the kind of mom I am. So I read on:

Matilda never was meanly dressed in her life; and nothing pleases her in dress but that which is very rich and beautiful to the eye.

Okay, I’ll admit to being attracted to nice clothes. In fact, just today I bought my daughter a very cute outfit at Gap Kids…

I continue reading on:

She stints them in their meals and is very scrupulous of what they eat and drink and tells them how many fine shapes she has seen spoiled in her time for want of such care. If a pimple rises in their faces she is in a great fright and they themselves are as afraid to see her with it as if they had committed some great sin.

Oh dear! My kids aren’t at pimple age yet, but I sure hope if they ever get pimples, I’ll not blame *them* for it! Now I’m beginning to worry about this Matilda…

It goes on to say that if the girls begin to look flushed, she calls in a doctor to keep their complexion from becoming too “coarse and ruddy.”

Uh. Okay.

By this means they are poor, pale, sickly, infirm creatures vapoured through want of spirits, crying at the smallest accidents, swooning away at anything that frights them, and hardly able to bear the weight of their best clothes.

This is seriously beginning to depress me. And then I read this:

The eldest daughter lived as long as she could under this discipline and died in the twentieth year of her age. When her body was opened it appeared that her ribs had grown into her liver and that her other entrails were much hurt by being crushed together with her stays which her mother had ordered to be twitched so strait that it often brought tears into her eyes whilst the maid was dressing her.

Wow. Just wow.

From A serious call to a devout and holy life: adapted to the state and condition
by William Law – Religion – 1821 – 346 pages

At least, they don’t mix for me. I mean, I don’t have time to be a gourmet cook! I hardly have time to go to the grocery store. It takes me a full day to plan and execute a “good” meal. I’m so super jealous of all those writers who can just “whip something up.” If I only had that talent!

Anyway, I’m blogging over at Pens Fatales, where I’m talking about my hopelessness when it comes to food and begging for some easy (and hopefully kid-friendly!) recipes. Please come say hi!

Blogging At Pens Fatales: http://pensfatales.com/2009/08/not-quite-foodie.html

Hi Everyone! The answer to the question: “What is Jennifer’s next book?” is “A TOUCH OF SCANDAL,” which will release in late March, 2010. I used random.org to help me pick the winning entrant.

The winner is:
Simone S.
simone2045@h…

Yay! Simone, please go to my contact page and send me your two book choices and your snail mail address.

Thanks so much to all who entered. I still have tons of books, and I’ll be doing this until there are none left, so please go to my contest page and enter this week’s contest. The question for this week is, “Who are the three main characters in A HINT OF WICKED.” Easy, right?

Congrats, Simone!

I just added a new contest over in my Bonus Features section. It’s an ongoing contest, and I’ll be giving away two historical romances (winner’s choice) every week. Most of them are signed! I’m totally giddy about this contest–these are great books, and I just love giving cool things away !

Here are the books I’ll be giving away:

Pretty cool, huh? So head on over to my contest page & enter!

Stay tuned–I’ll post the first winner right here on Friday, August 21!

I’m so excited-I’m starting to see the reviews trickle in for HIGHLAND OBSESSION. Here’s what people are saying about this book:

“…uses a love triangle to explore not only the possibility of loving more than one person but the bonds of male friendship and how obsession warps the soul. All these strong themes are well handled in this satisfying read.”

4 Stars, RT Book Reviews Magazine

“A fantastic balance of erotic detail and deep emotional connection. This one is going on my keeper shelf.”

Jess Michaels – Author of TABOO

“Two bold, scorching hot heroes and the woman that ignites the flame…this book sweeps you off your feet and into a romance as untamed as the wild Scottish Highlands. I was captivated.”

Emma Wildes – Author of AN INDECENT PROPOSITION

“…Highland Obsession hits the mark for me … Dawn Halliday has done a beautiful job of making it all come to life.”

5 Hearts, Recommended Read, Night Owl Romance

I had the most fun ever writing this book, and the research…ahh! LOVED it!

The Highlands are such a rugged, grounded place, and its people and their ideas about honor and duty are fascinating to me.

For an excerpt of HIGHLAND OBSESSION, click here (adults only, please!).

To buy it:

Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | Borders | Chapters.ca

I’m researching scandalous marriages today and came across a lecture entitled “On Woman” delivered by Colonel Willyams at the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Society in 1819.

The good colonel spends some time extolling the virtues of women, but then turns to their more despicable qualities. Then he says he’s set up some “rules and regulations” for women that he intends to get passed as an act of parliament. For women who break these rules, he suggests a “female court martial” made up of “gentlewomen of tried candour.”

What are the proposed rules, you ask? Well, here they are. I have to chuckle when I relate this to the writing community/blogs/etc. Most of us would be in big trouble!

ARTICLE 1st:

RULE: All ladies must diligently attend holy services.

PUNISHMENT: If a lady goes to church and behaves improperly, if married, she will be brought before the court martial to be “publicly and severely reprimanded.” If she’s not married, she must forfeit twelve pence.

ARTICLE 2nd:

RULE: Ladies must never speak in a disrespectful manner towards their superiors.

PUNISHMENT: Any lady to use “treacherous or disrespectful” words against her superior in rank or reputation must be rejected by her own society and “put to the bottom of the list.”

ARTICLE 3rd:

RULE: A lady can’t be mean to anyone who’s prettier or more accomplished than her, and she can’t hurt their feelings or dishonor them.

PUNISHMENT: “Any married unmarried or widow lady who shall behave herself contemptuously or spitefully towards her superior in beauty or accomplishment or shall speak words tending to her hurt or dishonour shall be punished accordingto the nature of her offence by the judgment of a female court martial.”

(Yep, I hurt your feelings, so I must PAY!!!!)

ARTICLE 4th:

RULE: No lady can cause or join in any scandal.

PUNISHMENT: If a lady is found guilty, she must “suffer silence, or such other punishment as by a female court martial shall be awarded.”

(Yeah, “silence” was italicized. What is “silence,” I wonder? She’s not allowed to talk at all?)

ARTICLE 5th:

RULE: Any lady present at a scandal must immediately “impart the information to her husband, father, brother, or other commanding officer.”

PUNISHMENT: Those who break this rule shall suffer the same punishment as article 4th.

(‘Cause, you know, the guys MUST know all the gossip, too….)

Here is the lecture (from Ackerman’s Repository) in full from Google books:


Sometimes, we’ve just got to appreciate the fact that we don’t live in the 19th century!

Congrats to Jessica M., who won (per random.org) my most recent contest! She gets a copy of A HINT OF WICKED by me, a copy of HIGHLAND OBSESSION also by me (but writing as Dawn Halliday, lol), and a bunch of author goodies.

Thanks to all who entered the contest! I asked about online sites that you go to for book information and your entries introduced me to several brand-new-to-me sites!

Stay tuned for my next contest. I have a wild idea for an ongoing contest to build up for the release of A TOUCH OF SCANDAL…

And, if you’re a writer, be sure to check out my contest over at Dawn Halliday’s site. There’s still time to enter for a critique by agent Barbara Poelle!

Thanks again! And congrats to Jessica!

Ahhh…HIGHLAND OBSESSION. It’s a love triangle like A HINT OF WICKED…but different. A touch more erotic, with two hotheaded Highland men and one very determined woman. I LOVED writing this book! I’m so thrilled about its release!